Cresta de Gallo, Philippines: Complete Travel Guide

Visiting Cresta de Gallo, Philippines, was a dream of ours. As soon as we saw the first photo of this Philippine island a few years ago, we fell completely in love with it. How do you get there? What can you do in this paradise? Those questions kept haunting us, and we couldn’t find much information online because, truth be told, very few people who travel to the Philippines venture into this part of the country.

After a great deal of research and a very long journey from Coron to Tablas and then on to Romblon and Sibuyan—which included being diagnosed with pneumonia, making an express trip back to Manila covered by our travel insurance for the Philippines, and dealing with a low-pressure system that caused boat cancellations—we finally reached what has become one of our favorite islands in the Philippines, if not our absolute favorite.

If you also dream of visiting paradise islands in the Philippines with hardly any tourists, have enough time in your itinerary (you’ll soon see why this is so important), and fancy a bit of adventure, you’ve come to the right place! Here, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know about Cresta de Gallo, Philippines: where it is, how to get there, and everything you need to plan your visit.

Table of Contents

Where is Cresta de Gallo?

Cresta de Gallo belongs to the province of Romblon. It lies in the Sibuyan Sea, southeast of the island of the same name, and the nearest village is tiny Azagra. There are no houses, shops, or restaurants on Cresta de Gallo, just a small caretaker’s house.

Why is it called “Cresta de Gallo”? (Cresta de gallo means rooster crest in Filipino) Our bangkero told us that the island was given this name because, from a distance, its small hills looked like a rooster’s comb. Simple, right? Thanks to Macario (our drone), we could clearly make out the shape of a rooster’s comb from the air. Can you see it too?

How to get to Cresta de Gallo, Philippines

The only way to reach Cresta de Gallo, Philippines, is via Sibuyan. Follow the steps in our guide on how to get to Sibuyan. From there, you’ll need to travel to Azagra, home to the “port” where boats leave for Cresta de Gallo.

After arriving at the port in Sibuyan, the best way to get to Azagra is via San Fernando. To do so, take a jeepney from Magdiwang (where boats from Romblon arrive) toward San Fernando. The journey rarely takes less than 2 hours. There are usually a couple of jeepneys a day, timed to coincide with the arrival and departure of the boats. The fare is around 100 pesos. A tricycle will cost around 500 pesos for the entire journey.

Another way to reach Azagra (and Cresta de Gallo): In theory, there’s a daily bangka from the port of Culasi (Roxas, Panay) to Azagra at 9:00 a.m. We traveled this route in the opposite direction, but we had to check with locals several times to make sure the boat was actually going to leave. Cancellations on this route are common. These are medium-sized boats, and the journey takes between 5 and 6 hours, so they don’t operate when the sea is rough. Only consider this route if you have plenty of time to spare. The ticket costs 350 pesos.

Once in Azagra, you’ll need to negotiate a price with a bangkero for the trip to Cresta de Gallo. The trip from Azagra to Cresta de Gallo takes about 1 hour, depending on sea conditions.

A few days earlier, in Romblon, we had been given the number of a lovely local boatman who took us to the island, along with his deckhand, aboard his bangka, Maria Pamela. Guess what he lent us when we arrived on the island: a couple of sun hats! That’s why we have a few photos in true Instagram style.

The trip to Cresta de Gallo

We set off at around 9:00 a.m. and headed back at around 3:00 p.m., although we could return whenever we wanted. You can also set off later and return after sunset if you prefer. As we had been told—and later saw for ourselves—the sea gets a little rougher after midday. Also, if you want to see the island in all its glory, we recommend checking the tides in Sibuyan so that your visit to Cresta de Gallo coincides with low tide.

We paid 1,500 pesos ($40) in total for the two of us. The bangka could accommodate at least 4 more people, so the price was more than reasonable even for just two travelers. Food and drinks weren’t included, so we had ordered ours the day before from our favorite place in Cajidiocan, Duane’s Burger Hauz. The vegetarian pancit they made for us tasted heavenly on Cresta de Gallo.

* Prices have gone up since 2020. The Sibuyan bangkero association now charges 2,500 pesos per boat for up to 5 people (3,000 pesos if you stay overnight on the island) and 3,000 pesos for 6 to 10 people (3,500 pesos for an overnight stay).

If you need the boatman’s contact details to visit Cresta de Gallo, leave us a comment and we’ll send them to you as soon as possible.

When is the best time to visit Cresta de Gallo?

If you want to enjoy this Philippine paradise, we recommend visiting from March to May, when the waters are calmer and you’re more likely to have good weather. That said, the dry season throughout the Romblon islands generally runs from November to May. You can find more information in our guide to the best time to travel to the Philippines.

We visited Cresta de Gallo, Philippines, in February and, as you can see, the weather was incredible.

Things to do on Cresta de Gallo

Before you even set foot on the island, you’ll be blown away—we promise. Pasik took us on a quick boat tour around the whole of Cresta de Gallo. I swear that, despite all the beaches and islands I’d seen by then, I had never come across such an incredible variety of shades of blue. Seriously, I felt like I’d reached paradise on earth.

So, apart from marveling at the scenery, what else can you do on Cresta de Gallo? Here’s a list:

Walk from one end of the island to the other: to use the same expression again, Cresta de Gallo’s three sandspits will blow you away. Since there are hardly any trees or huts to provide shade, walking around can be a little tiring, but you can get from one end of the island to the other in 20 minutes.
Swim in paradise: our favorite swimming spots were the southern tip and the northwestern end.
Go snorkeling: if you bring your mask and snorkel, don’t miss the chance to use them! The island is surrounded by healthy coral reefs.
Take 1,947,014,170,742 photos of what may be one of the most beautiful islands in the Philippines—and start wondering how you could move to the island.

Where to stay when visiting Cresta de Gallo

Sibuyan is a large island, and many of its roads aren’t fully paved, which means getting around can take quite a long time. In our opinion, there are two places to spend the night before or after visiting Cresta de Gallo: Cajidiocan and San Fernando. Both are small towns with a limited selection of hotels and restaurants, but there are more than enough options for a few days.

Cajidiocan is farther from Azagra, but we chose it because it was easier to reach from Magdiwang, where boats from Romblon arrive. We were surprised to discover a fairly large community of German retirees who have found their own little haven there and regularly meet up for dinner (one evening, we joined them and ate German potato salad in the middle of nowhere in the Philippines). We stayed in an Airbnb there, but honestly, we wouldn’t recommend it because we had a few issues with the owner…

Even if it takes a little longer to get there, we recommend staying in San Fernando. From there, it’s easier to reach Cresta de Gallo, there are things to do nearby, and you have a few accommodation options:

Seabreeze Inn: basic air-conditioned rooms for 800 pesos. They rent motorbikes for 500 pesos per day.
Beach House Sibuyan: an entire house with a kitchen in San Fernando for just $32 per night.
Bungalow auf Sibuyan: an entire house near Azagra for $32 per night. The owner is German—hence the name.

Our tips for visiting Cresta de Gallo

Want to visit Cresta de Gallo? Here are some recommendations:

Try to visit the island from Monday to Thursday. When we went, there was only one other boat, carrying a Filipino family. It’s still a fairly remote place and receives hardly any visitors, but naturally, people from Sibuyan like to spend their weekends on the island. If you want to feel like a castaway, visit Cresta de Gallo, Philippines, on a weekday.
Try to arrange your excursion the day before. It’s not as if there are dozens of boats waiting for you in Azagra. We contacted our boatman by SMS.
There’s an ATM in Cajidiocan, but don’t rely on it—it’s better to bring cash with you from Romblon.
Bring plenty of sunscreen. There isn’t much shade on the island, and you’ll want to make the most of your time there. As we explain in What to pack for the Philippines, please use biodegradable sunscreen so as not to damage the coral.
Bring enough food and water, as there’s nowhere to buy anything on the island.
If you’re thinking of staying overnight on Cresta de Gallo—which could be epic—you’ll need to bring your own tent. Camping is allowed. There are also some extremely basic huts for 500 pesos per night, but they don’t provide bedding, so bring something warm because it can get chilly. Ask your boatman whether he can arrange this for you.
We found Cresta de Gallo spotlessly clean. The caretakers probably do a good job of collecting the trash that washes ashore. Please bring a bag to take your rubbish away with you, and don’t leave any waste on the island. If you see any rubbish, pick it up and help keep the island just as beautiful.

Is Cresta de Gallo worth visiting?

The words we’ve used most often in this article about Cresta de Gallo are paradise, favorite island, blown away, and epic, so you can probably imagine how much we loved this little piece of land. And if we still haven’t convinced you, take a look at this video:

We absolutely loved visiting Cresta de Gallo. No matter how many times we return to the Philippines, we’ll never forget how we felt when we first caught sight of this beautiful island—or how difficult the journey there was.

Cresta de Gallo is a natural wonder that relatively few people know about. Although it receives more visitors every year (there are now even a few umbrellas and chairs, as well as the occasional flag), getting there is still almost an odyssey, so we don’t think it will become crowded for a looooong time. Even so, we recommend visiting as soon as possible because more and more people are discovering it, and even a couple of cruise ships stop there each year. Seriously, it could be one of the most beautiful islands you’ll ever see.

Do we recommend visiting Cresta de Gallo, Philippines? Absolutely, BUT only if you’re fully aware of the effort it takes to get there. We also couldn’t imagine a trip to Cresta de Gallo without visiting other places in Sibuyan and Romblon. Romblon, in particular, won us over, as you already know. Traveling around the Romblon island group is a fabulous experience, with barely developed islands, gorgeous deserted beaches, and countless corners where you can escape the usual tourist trail in the Philippines.

For all these reasons, we recommend visiting Cresta de Gallo if you have at least 8–9 days to explore the Romblon area and enjoy all the places featured in our Romblon Guide and Sibuyan Guide.

If you want to visit beautiful sandbars, there are plenty to choose from in the Philippines. We still haven’t found any that quite match Cresta de Gallo. All the others we’ve visited receive considerably more tourists, but they’re still absolutely beautiful. Other islands and sandbars of this kind in the Philippines include: